Worker Injured In Tenn. Plant Blast

TOONE, Tenn. (AP) -- An explosion at a manufacturing plant in western Tennessee injured at least one person Saturday.

WMC-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1l9k8vP ) the blast happened around 10:50 a.m. at a plant in Toone owned by the Kilgore Flares Company.

The worker suffered severe burns and was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. The worker's condition was not known Saturday afternoon.

The TV station reports that more employees were hurt, though the extent of those injuries was not known.

Emergency crews put out the fire at the plant, which makes air and naval decoy flares for the military.

The company released a statement Saturday afternoon, confirming the accident and the injury of one employee.

The Jackson Sun reports that Chuck Stout, vice president and general manager, said, "Kilgore is in the process of gathering the facts as to what happened and will cooperate fully with the federal, state and local authorities in that regard."

The company withheld the name for the employee and added, "our hearts and prayers are with him and his family."